


Repair the Past

by samariumwriting



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Dancing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Harvest Scramble, Nonbinary My Unit | Reflet | Robin, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29759655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samariumwriting/pseuds/samariumwriting
Summary: At the fair, Robin overhears a tale from Stahl about how he once sacrificed his own happiness to let his friend dance with the girl they both had a crush on. It doesn't sit right with them.
Relationships: My Unit | Reflet | Robin/Sort | Stahl
Kudos: 13





	Repair the Past

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was a commission for @thissilverfish over on twitter! If you end up reading it here, I hope you enjoyed :D it was very fun to write

Robin didn't tend to be a fan of eavesdropping - it made them feel rude, especially when they weren’t at all involved in the topic. That said, there were occasions when they couldn't help but listen in; now was definitely one of those times.

"A friend took me along to what would be the only fair I saw as a boy... I had a crush back then, and I was hoping to see her at this fair." Stahl chuckled lightly as he spoke, and how  _ couldn't  _ Robin listen in? Even if the girl was long out of his life, they wanted to hear about one of his early loves.

It was a fun story to listen to - it was very Stahl, in a way they recognised from start to finish. However, as they kept listening, his tone seemed to dampen a little, and a twisting feeling formed in their gut as the story reached its conclusion.

"It was the very same girl whom I had long adored from afar! I was deeply conflicted. But he was a fine friend, one I didn't want to lose. So, in the end, I did nothing. I stayed silent the whole night." Robin's heart ached at his words, at the regret in his tone. They knew that expression; it was the one he always got when he was more upset than he wanted to let on.

Donnel seemed to sense it too, full of suggestions within a few seconds. "When this fight's over, we're gonna make things right. I'll put on a wig, you put on a blindfold, and the two of us'll dance instead!"

"I appreciate the thought, Donny, but I really don't think that'll be necessary..." Stahl trailed off with a laugh, clearly unwilling. Donnel hesitated, and Robin was just about ready to step in when he thankfully backed off.

They thought that was the end of it, and that they'd be able to alleviate any of Stahl's sore feelings from the conversation and the incident from so many years ago. But when they got the time to wander around the fair more, when they saw people dancing together...

Robin looked over at Stahl. He looked back at them once or twice, his eyes full of too many emotions for them to fully unpick. But never once did he get closer to them again—never once did he open his mouth to ask for a dance.

They didn't want it to bother them - there were many reasons that he might have preferred to pass on a dance. Maybe he wasn't feeling confident in his skills, or didn't want to put Robin on the spot in front of the rest of their comrades. There could be any number of reasons for his reticence, and all of them were perfectly fine, completely his choice.

But that didn't mean it didn't bother them to see it. It stayed in their mind even as they left the fair behind, dancers and all. It lingered as Robin watched Stahl's dejected expression, and the way he kept looking over when he thought they wouldn't notice.

By the time they were settled in for the evening, Robin had decided they'd seen enough. Stahl was clearly bothered by this and unwilling to say anything, but why that was escaped Robin entirely.

Besides, they had their own thoughts in their mind. Thoughts about the possibility that, one day, Stahl would take the decision to prioritise another over his own happiness when it came to them, leaving only a chasm and bitter memories in place of what could have been a happy time.

"I wish you weren't so selfless sometimes," they said when they were finally completely alone.

Stahl startled a little, his expression confused. Maybe they should have explained a little more; he couldn't read their thoughts. "Is this about the story I told at the fair?" he asked.

They nodded. "It was kind of you to do it," they explained, "but you shouldn't have. You clearly regret it."

Stahl offered up a small, slightly sad smile. "It wasn't a big deal," he said, clearly lying through his teeth. "Honestly, I'd completely forgotten about it until Donnel brought it up! You don't have to worry about my regret."

"Are you sure?" they asked, their brow furrowed. Stahl nodded, but they weren't convinced. The way he acted today didn't exactly assuage their worries, but Stahl never liked it when they worried over him. "What if it was me?"

Stahl spluttered. "What?" A little pink coloured his face. "What do you mean?"

"If it was me back then," they said, "and someone clearly liked me. Would you have let the moment pass then too?" They didn't know if they sounded stern, upset, or simply concerned. They didn't really mind either, so long as Stahl took it seriously.

"I promise I wouldn't," he said, his tone laden with sincerity. "It was just a puppy crush. I'd never even had a chance to act on any feelings I'd had before - I was upset at the time because I decided not to, but now I know they weren't that strong."

With those words, he took one of Robin's hands in his, catching their gaze directly. "I'm glad," they said. They  _ were,  _ but they still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in their chest earlier.

Stahl, seemingly sensing that unease, rubbed the back of his head as a sheepish smile formed on his face again. "Honestly, I don't regret it," he said. Robin shot him a look; he hadn't  _ seemed  _ like he didn't regret it back when he spoke to Donnel. The fact that he'd never visited a fair again said it all, at least to them. "I'm glad my actions gave him joy, even if it was painful for me at the time."

"I think it was silly of you," they said, hoping he could hear that it was at least half a joke. It  _ was  _ his choice, and at the end of the day it was long in the past. If he was happy with it, that was fine. "Puppy crushes are still worth pursuing, and it would have brought you joy in the same way that it brought your friend joy - who's to say your feelings weren't stronger than your friend's?"

Stahl laughed at the challenge in their tone. "It's alright, Robin," he said. "I'd barely even thought about it again until now, it was only the fair that brought the memories back. Now I'm looking back on it, I'm still glad I did what I did - I wouldn't have been able to stand the conflict that would have inevitably come with voicing my feelings."

"I understand," they said, but they still weren't entirely happy. How could they be, after seeing yet more evidence of the way he constantly put himself last? "But you do have to promise me something."

Stahl's smile was a little nervous, a little surprised, but he nodded. "What is it?" he asked.

"If you want something from me, you have to ask me," they said firmly. Stahl's mouth fell open. "You should get the things you want, and I will always be happy to give them to you."

A tiny blush appeared on Stahl's face. "I think I can try and promise that," he said. They fixed him with a stern look. "I'll at least keep it in mind! I promise."

Robin smiled again, brushing a thumb across the streak of pink on his cheekbones. "Good," they said, and then they let the conversation fizzle out into silence.

They stayed like that for a while, just spending some quiet time together. These were Robin's favourite hours, when they could do whatever they pleased and know that Stahl would be right there with them. Their conversations formed nothing short of some of their happiest memories, but the quiet time shone the brightest. Just being in his company, content and safe, meant the world to them.

The hours dragged on, and just as Robin was about to suggest that they should blow out the candles and turn in for the night, Stahl spoke up once more. "Robin," he said, voice endlessly soft. "Would you dance with me?"

There was a hint of hesitation to his tone, like he still seriously expected them to reject him. They couldn't have that, not when he was doing exactly what they wished he'd do more often.

"Of course," they answered, moving to tidy their things away. They didn't know how much space dancing would need, but they weren't particularly keen on the possibility that they might knock all their papers over. "Though I can't promise I'll be any good."

"I won't be either," Stahl said, standing at the edge of their desk. He reached out to try and move a sheaf of paper, and they gently pushed his hands away; they'd told him time and again that he didn't have to help them with things like this. "I've never been much good at dancing."

"I'm sure you're better than you think," they said. In fact, they didn't doubt that at all - they'd be surprised if he was even  _ half _ as terrible as he said.

"I suppose there's only one way to find out," he said, offering them an arm. They stared at it for a moment; at the fair they'd just attended, when people danced they sometimes put their arms around each other and moved in rapid leaps. At other times, they linked together at the elbow and swirled around in tight circles. But which kind of dance was this?

"I don't think I know any dances," they admitted with a laugh. Stahl laughed with them (not at them.  _ Never  _ at them, like Robin was sure some might if they discovered the gaps in their knowledge), guiding one of their hands around his waist and taking the other.

"Then this is going to be interesting," he said. He shuffled his feet forwards, and a moment later Robin moved back. They shuffled their arm into a slightly more comfortable position, trying to ignore the way their hand was definitely a little sweaty. They didn't know why they were so nervous; it wasn't like anyone was watching.

It picked up a little from there, and it was easier than Robin expected. All they had to do was mirror Stahl's movements - ideally they would have been able to move in tandem with him, knowing before he even began where he would go next, but that wasn't exactly an option for them. They barely even had music to dance to, just the slightly off-beat humming from Stahl.

Once or twice when they turned, they stepped on Stahl's feet, but he didn't seem to mind one bit. He just laughed it off, pretending the pain wasn't there at all, and kept moving. He took them through the steps of a slow dance first, making sure they got it all before they did it once more for practise and once more to actually get it right.

Robin liked to think they were a relatively quick learner, but Stahl was a good teacher too. "I think I understand it now," they said. "Teach me another one?"

"Are you sure you've never danced before?" Stahl asked, brow furrowed.

They nodded fervently. "Never once," they promised. "This is all you."

Stahl flushed pink. "So's this," he said, and then he leaned all the way forwards, pushing Robin back until the only way they could stay standing was through Stahl's hands supporting their weight. "How's that for another dance move?"

"I think it could do with some practise," they said, just as Stahl pulled them back up again. They shot him a grin, and he sent a slightly breathless smile back. "Let's do it again."

And they did, stringing so many different moves together that Robin's head span. Twists and turns, leaps, plenty of things that took them whirling around the tent so fast that they were  _ very  _ glad they'd packed their papers away for the night. Eventually, they were both breathless and exhausted, and their dance slowed once more to the intimate closeness of the first before they wound down.

"Thank you," Stahl said, when they both finally flopped onto the floor. Robin's feet hurt after that and all the day's activities, and they'd only feel it more when morning came, but they didn't regret it at all. Every second of pain was worth the warmth in Stahl's voice and the precious curve of his lips in that wide smile.

"Any time," Robin said, and they truly meant it. Anything was worth the joy that came from time spent together like this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) if you enjoyed, please consider leaving a kudos/comment, I really appreciate it!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/samariumwriting)  
> [fic promo post](https://twitter.com/samariumwriting/status/1366075599207469057?s=20)


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